USEFUL, serviceable — eu, 'well', + chrēstos, 'usable, good'; the opposite of achrēstos, 'useless'. ⚠ The pair carries the central pun of Philemon: the runaway slave is named ONESIMUS, 'useful, profitable', and Paul plays on it — 'once achrēstos (useless) to you, now euchrēstos (useful)' (Philemon 11) — the man living down to his name and then up to it. A second pun likely hides beneath: achrēstos and Christos were near-homophones, so 'useless' whispers 'Christless'. Paul uses the word again of the once-failed Mark, 'useful to me for ministry' (2 Timothy 4:11), and of the vessel 'useful to the master' (2 Timothy 2:21) — usefulness restored is a quiet theme. → first discussed at Philemon 1:11